Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to close a deal to produce the Harry Potter television series for HBO Max, reported Bloomberg.
The project would be directly based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling original book series rather than an in-universe spinoff like the Fantastic Beasts film series. Each season would reportedly be based on one of the books, suggesting an ongoing franchise that would stretch for years for the studio.
Rowling is likely to maintain a degree of creative involvement with the series. However, she would not serve as the primary creator or showrunner.
Discussions between Warner Bros. Discovery and Rowling remain in a preliminary state. The studio is looking to house the series under its streaming service HBO Max, according to a report by the American entertainment magazine Variety.
Warner Bros. has long pursued a Harry Potter television series, with rumours about the project emerging during January 2021, predating WarnerMedia’s acquisition by Discovery last year.
News of the developing deal comes as Warner Bros. Discovery prepares to host a presentation for investors and the general public on April 12. The event will preview the integration of HBO Max and Discovery+ as well as the company’s upcoming slate of streaming content.
Warner Bros. had previously adapted each book in Rowling’s Harry Potter series into a blockbuster film series, beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001 and concluding with Harry and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in 2011. The eight films generated more than USD 7.7 billion at the global box office and sealed Harry Potter as a pop-culture icon.
Even decades after the original book and film series concluded, it has remained a dominant cultural force, spawning theme park attractions, the spinoff film series Fantastic Beasts, a hit Broadway production in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the recent hit video game Hogwarts Legacy.
